There’s something… well… magical about 2010’s Wii-exclusive Epic Mickey getting a remake in 2024. As those who played the original know, the game itself is a quest through a realm of forgotten Disney characters and attractions called the Wasteland and, after playing a demo of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed at D23, I’m more confident than ever that this adventure with an impressive new coat of paint will thankfully not be lost to the unforgiving hands of time, like some that sadly came before it.
What impressed me the most about Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed is how much it looks and, perhaps most importantly, feels like a 2024 game. In our original Epic Mickey review, we gave it an 8/10 and said that this ‘Great’ game was held back by a camera and control system that were “flawed to a point where the larger experience becomes damaged.” None of those issues were present in what I played of the remake and it felt like an absolute joy to play. Oh, and it running at a smooth 60FPS didn’t hurt its case either.
Mickey himself has also improved in the 14 years since he first entered the Wasteland, as he can now sprint, dash, and ground pound around the gorgeous-yet-dark world that is very much like a twisted version of Disneyland. These new traversal additions are the Minnie to Mickey’s paint brush abilities, and they dance in a way that is just as beautiful as Disney Parks’ best nighttime spectaculars.
I just had the biggest smile on my face as I jumped around the opening level of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed and didn’t have to deal with the frustrating motion and camera controls of the Wii version, leaving me to paint and thin with ease while feeling so much more agile. The best remakes implement changes that seem almost preposterous to think they were never there, and these fit that bill.
A Remake in Every Sense of the Word
As for the visuals of Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, they are another highlight in large part to remake developer Purple Lamp’s decision to not only rebuild the whole game with the original assets so it was playable from start to finish, but to then remake every asset from scratch and do it all over again. This dedication appears to have been worth it, as the Wasteland is now a place I wish I could explore forever.
From the inky black paint-like blot floating off Mickey as he runs and jumps to the colors and sharpness of the alternate flying elephant and tea cup attractions, Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed takes place in a world that I can just watch and listen to a subtle and haunting version of ‘Once Upon a Dream’ and still feel like I had a worthy play session.
The side-scrolling, 2D projector stages that take Mickey from one level to another also look so much better and, in one of the new additions to Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed, you can go back and play through them again as you wish in the game’s Main Street Cinema. This means you can replay levels based on such classic Mickey cartoons as Steamboat Willie, Mickey and the Beanstalk, and more as you please.
Now, there isn’t a ton new in Disney Epic Mickey: Rebrushed as it is a very faithful remake, but fans will be able to look forward to three times as many collectibles to find, from pins to film reels to artwork and so much more. The team also told me there will be some new puzzles to solve, but that’s really about it.
So, if you didn’t love the story or painting gameplay or the first interaction between Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, these modern upgrades may not be enough to sway you. However, like me, if you saw in the original something that was held back from greatness on the Wii – or you never had a Wii and just love Disney and Mickey – this is one adventure you should keep an eye on.
I’ll be very curious to see how the rest of the game holds up, as I was only able to play that opening level, but what I experienced left such an impression on me that it’s making September 24 a whole lot harder to wait for.
To end, I just wanted to share a few words from my chat with game design legend Warren Spector, the creative director on the original who also consulted on Rebrushed, as he sums up why Epic Mickey is one the games he is “most proud of.” High praise from the creator of Deus Ex and System Shock.
“The thing that I love the most about this game is that it touched people emotionally,” Spector said. “I wanted to make a game for families that parents and children could play together, that kids could teach their parents how to play because that’s the way it would work, not the other way around.
“Additionally, one of the things that characterizes Disney is that things last. They have lasting value. How many 1937 films are people still watching today that weren’t made by Walt Disney? So, the idea that a game had that kind of impact and longevity is really special. But the biggest thing, really the biggest thing, is when people come up to me as they have at D23 and say, ‘I played this game as a child and now I get to play it with my child.’ That brings tears to my eyes. It just shows the real power and potential of games to do more than I think most of us realize.”
